Safety-lamp.



PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905.

H. G. STONE.

SAFETY LAMP.

APPLICATION mum JUNE a0, 1903.

INVENTOH,

W H/S ATTUHNEY. I

Patented February '7, 1905.

UNITED STATes PATENT Oriana.

HERBERT (J. STONE, OF BROOKLYN. NEW YORK.

SAFETY-LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,796, dated February'7, 1905.

Application filed June 30, 1903- Serial No. 163,769.

To a, II'ZLO'IH/ it 11m cr /warn:

Be it known that I, TTERBER'I (J. S'roxn, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings Theobject of my invention is to provide a lamp which shall be combined withsuitable mechanism which is arranged to extinguish the flame of the lampshould the latter accidentally assume a position in which its contentsmight be ignited by the flame from the wick.

Lamps which burn explosive liquids are adapted to do so with safety solong as they remain in a position which is approximately erect: butshould such a lamp fall, whether to any distance or simply on its side,the contained liquid may flood the wick and burner stop-collar 2 isfixed upon the end of the rod and to some extent will leak out of thelatter, and if the lamp be burning at the time the exuding liquid willbe ignited and may set fire to surrounding inflammable matter.Furthermore, the conditions mentioned may cause the lamp to explode. theconflagration being thus greatly increased by the burning liquid, whichhas thus been spread to a great distance.

By my invention the flame of a lamp will be extinguished immediatelyupon the falling of the lamp or the tipping thereof to a considerableangle from its normal erect position, and the extinguishment of theflame will be accomplished before the contained liquid flows from thelamp, thus preventing the ig- I nition of the liquid by the flame of thelamp.

in the (Ilrawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a lampwhich embodies my invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. Figs.3 to 6, both inclusive, are detail views; and Fig. 7 is an elevation ofthe rods 2 and 3 and of the cross-pin 8, the rod 2 being shown partly insection and the view being taken at right angles with Fig. 1.

Reference characters are relatively alike throughout the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, A in a general way designates a lamp of acommon design.

w is a wick-holder, and (l is a wick.

A flame-spreader l is attached to the upper end of a hollow rod which isincloscd within a central draft-tube, which is fixed in the verticalcentral part of the lamp. A helical spring 3 is coiled about the rod 2,and the upper end thereof is attached to a cross-pin 8, which passesthrough the rod The lower end of the spring 3 is attached to a collar 9,which is fixed on a rod 3, part of the latter being slidably positionedwithin the rod 2, the remainder thereof passing downwardly and through aguide-frame b. The spring 3 tends to urge the rod 3 outwardly of thehollow rod 2 and should be of such length as to retain theflame-spreadcr l in its operativcly normal positions relatively of thewick if. A helical spring 3 is coiled about the rod 3, the upper endthereof being attached to the collar 9, the lower end thereof beingattached to the guide-frame 1/. The spring 3 urges the collar 2) and therod 3 downwardly. A

3, and a conical collar 2 is fixed on said rod above the collar 2.Between the collars 2. 2 a circular engaging collar i, which has itsperiphery formed at an acute angle, is loosely mounted upon the rod 3.

The guide-frame l), as shown in the drawings, is in form a tripod, andthe feet 6 thereof are resiliently spread outwardly and engage a ringwhich is attached to the lamp A, thus retaining the guide-frame 6, withthe parts which are mounted thereon, in their proper positionsrelatively of the lamp A.

Loosely mounted on the feet 6 and near the junction of the latter to theguide-frame are swinging detaining members 5, one on each foot 6, eachof said members being notched, as at 5, in a suitable manner to engagethe engaging collar 4.- The detaining members 5 are resiliently retainedin their proper respective positions on the feet I) by suitable means,herein shown as helical springs 6 6, which are mounted on the feet I)and severally impingc against collars 6 6 and against the detainingmembers 5, thus urging the latter in an inward direction or toward eachother. The detaining members 5 are severally scribed as follows:

formed as frames which surround relatively large apertures, the innerfaces 5 of the frame members thereof being inclined toward each other attheir respective upper ends.

Suspended within the apertures of the several detaining members 5 is aweighted annulus 9, which is of such internal and external diametraldimensions that if the lamp A be in an upright or approximately uprightposition the annulus 9 will contact inner faces of the detaining members5; but if the lamp A assumes a position in which the contents thereofmay exude and which is termed herein a dangerous angle the annulus 9will be thus made to contact the inwardly-inclined 1 upper faces 5" ofthe detaining members 5. Bifurcated guides 10 10, which are attached tothe annulus 9, respectively serve to retain the latter in a positionwhich is, at least approximately, central with the detaining members 5.

Any suitable means may be used to retain the annulus 9 in anapproximately central position relatively of the vertical center of theapparatus before described. I prefer, however, to loosely suspend theannulus 9 by the means shown on a reduced scale in Fig. 6, in which areshown flexible members 8 8, which are severally attached to the outeredge of the annulus 9 and also to the wall of the foot of the lamp.

A flexible member, such as a chain 7, may be attached at a suitablepoint to the rod 2 and descending thence may be carried out-- wardly ofthe foot of the lamp.

The operation of the apparatus may be de- The lamp being in an uprightor an approximately upright position,' the rod 3 may be urged upwardlyuntil the engaging collar 4, which will be properly positioned by meansof the conical collar 2, is engaged by the notches 5 in the detainingmembers 5, and the latter will be. retained by the annulus 9 in positionto engage the collar 4, this result being effected by reason of thecontact of the inner surface of the annulus 9 with the lower innercurved faces of the detaining members 5. The flame-spreader 1 will thenbe properly positioned above the wick-holder 0 to permit the wick toburn in a normal manner. Should the lamp A be tipped to a dangerousangle, so that its contents are apt to exude and possibly be ignited bythe flame from the wick, the weighted annulus 9 will assume a positionin which it will contact one or more of the faces 5 of the detainingmembers 5 5, and thus disengage the engaging collar 1. The latter willthus be released from its engagement in the notches 5 in the detainingmembers 5. The spring 3 will urge the rod 3 downwardly or toward i thefoot of the lamp A, and the rod 2 will be drawn downwardly therewith bythe spring3, which, it should be noted, is fully extended 1 when atrest, and thus serves as a connectingl link between the rods 2 and ,3under the conditions immediately specified. The rod 2 will carry theflame-spreader 1 against the top of the wick (Z, and the wick-holder 0,with the flame-spreader 1, will then inclose the wick d and extinguishthe flame therefrom by preventing the access thereto of sufficient airto support combustion. Should it be desired to extinguish the flamewithout tipping the lamp A, this can be effected by pulling the flexiblemember 7 downwardly, thus compressing the spring 3 and operating the rod2 and flame spreader l, as before described, in which event the rod 2will slide upon the rod 3. It will be understood that the flexiblemembers 8 8 should be of sufficient length to permit the annulus 9 toswing loosely inside of the foot of the lamp. Thus, it will be noted,means are provided by which the flame-spreader 1 will be automaticallyoperated, so as to close the outer end of the wick holder 0 if the lampassumes a dangerous anglethat is to say, a position in which thecontents thereof may exude.

I claim as new and as my invention l.Asafety-lamp,comprisingawick-holder; a flamespreader operatable to closethe outer end of the wick-holder; a rod attached to the flame spreaderand positioned in a central draft-tube; an engaging collar mounted onthe rod; detaining members 5 arranged to engage the engaging collar; aweighted annulus which may be caused to operate by tipping the lamp andwhich is operatable to disengage the detaining members 5 from theengaging collar; flexible members which loosely suspend the annulusinside of the base of the lamp; and means arranged to so operate the rodwhen the detaining members 5 are disengaged from the engaging collar asto cause the flamespreader to close the outer end of the wickholder.

2. A safety-lamp,comprising a wick-holder; a flame'spreader operatableto close the outer end of the wick-holder; a rod attached to theflame-spreader and positioned in a central d raft-tube; an engagingcollar mounted on the rod; detaining members 5 arranged to engage theengaging collar; a weighted annulus which may be caused to operate bytipping the lamp and which is operatable to disengage the detainingmembers 5 from the engaging collar; flexible members which looselysuspend the annulus inside of the base of the lamp; and a springarranged to so operate the rod when the detaining members 5 aredisengaged from the engaging collar as to cause the flamespreader toclose the outer end of the wickholder.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name I to this application in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT C. STONE.

Vitnesses:

ETELKA DERCKS. ()HAs. H. DAvIDs.

